Hand held garment steamer

ABSTRACT

A hand held appliance for use in applying steam to a garment or other item made of fabric includes a pump, a boiler and a switch. Power is applied through the switch to the pump. The pump pumps water from the water tank to the boiler. The water is converted to steam in the boiler and is expelled from the appliance through a set of nozzles. The appliance may include optional attachments for performing other operations on garments or fabric, for example, applying pressure, brushing, scrubbing or lint removal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a hand held appliance for thecare of garments and other items made of fabric. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a hand held appliance for applying steamand/or heat to garments, fabrics and the like.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Portable hand held devices for applying steam are particularlyuseful in removing wrinkles and improving the appearance of hanginggarments, draperies, upholstery, and other items made of fabric. Whentraveling, these devices may be especially effective for fresheningclothes that have been packed in luggage. They are also useful forimproving the appearance of hanging draperies without removing them,straightening and flattening upholstery, opening seams, and, generally,for smoothing fabric during sewing operations. In all of theseapplications, it is not only important to apply steam to the fabric, butto do so in a safe and easy manner. It is also important to be able toapply a desired amount of steam to a particular portion of the fabricbeing treated.

[0005] There are several factors that make the steaming operationdifficult. An appliance that is large may occupy a significant amount ofspace rendering it unsuitable for use when traveling. An appliance thatis bulky and heavy may be difficult to manipulate and thus inhibitapplying the proper amount of steam for the time required to removewrinkles. In addition, a bulky appliance may make it difficult tooperate the controls. An appliance that does not accommodate differentvoltages encountered in different countries may be inconvenient. Also,the construction of the appliance may make filling with water difficultand may require a user to carry the entire appliance to a source ofwater. Certain types of fabric may also require an additional operationduring the steaming operation such as the application of pressure overan area, brushing, or scrubbing.

[0006] Therefore, there exists a need for a hand-held garment steamerthat is relatively lightweight, convenient to maneuver and operate,including filling the water tank thereof, and operable from multiplevoltage sources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-heldsteamer for applying steam to an article of fabric construction.

[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide such asteamer that is relatively lightweight and easy to hold.

[0009] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide sucha steamer that applies steam and/or heat in a consistent manner.

[0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide such asteamer that uses different voltages that may be found in variouscountries.

[0011] It is a still further object of the present invention to providesuch a steamer having a detachable reservoir that is easily filled.

[0012] It is a still further object of the present invention to providesuch a steamer with at least one attachment for performing operations onan item while steaming.

[0013] These and other objects and advantages of the present inventionare achieved by a hand held appliance for use in applying steam to agarment or other article preferably made of fabric. Advantageously, thegarment steamer of the present invention preferably is lightweight,comfortably held in the hand of a user, and suitably sized for easy,convenient transport such as traveling. The garment steamer of thepresent invention preferably includes functionality to provide aconsistent application of steam and heat, either alone or in combinationwith the other, to an article of fabric construction and accommodatesmultiple voltage sources. A detachable reservoir is provided tofacilitate easy filling thereof. The present invention preferablyincludes one or more attachments for performing various fabric treatmentoperations, such as but not limited to brushing, combing, flattening,and scrubbing fabric, and removing lint therefrom.

[0014] The steamer of the present application includes a pump, a steamgenerator or boiler, a steam discharge switch, and a removable watertank or reservoir. Power is selectively applied through a steamdischarge switch to the pump. The pump pumps water from the reservoir tothe boiler. The water is converted to steam in the boiler. The steam isdischarged from the steamer through a number of openings disposed in anouter surface of a head portion of the steamer. The steamer preferablyhas a soleplate that is heated for applying heat to an article offabric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a side view of a garment steamer accordance with thepresent invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 1, includingan attachment attached thereto in accordance with the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a side view of a garment steamer in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention; and

[0018]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 3illustrating, inter alia, the soleplate thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Referring to the figures and, in particular, FIG. 1, there isshown a hand held garment steamer generally represented by referencenumeral 105.

[0020] Steamer 105 has a housing 110 that houses, and preferablyencloses, a boiler 115 and a pump 120. Housing 110 has a nozzle 150 at ahead portion end thereof and a handle connected to and extending fromthe head portion. A steam discharge switch 125 is mounted in or tohousing 110 with its actuator 130 protruding through an opening inhousing 110.

[0021] A first water pipe 135 is provided to convey water from watertank or reservoir 145 to a pump 120. A second water pipe 140 conveyswater from pump 120 to a boiler 115. In boiler 115, the water is heatedfrom a liquid state to steam. It should be appreciated that the boilermay be varied to include any type of steam generator compatible with theother aspects of the present invention.

[0022] The steam generated in boiler 115 is discharged (i.e., expelled)from at least one, and preferably a number of, nozzles 150 located on atleast one outer surface of the head portion of steamer 105.

[0023] Power for steamer 105 is derived from an external power source(not shown) through an electrical cable 155. Cable 155 provides anelectrical connection from the external power source to pump 120, boiler115, and other components of steamer 105 requiring electrical energy. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that steamer 105 maybe powered by an internal power source such as a battery.

[0024] Reservoir 145 is preferably detachable (i.e., removable) fromhousing 110. In a preferred embodiment, reservoir 145 is connected tosteamer 105 at the head portion end of the steamer. Reservoir 145 isselectively released by actuation of a reservoir release button 160.

[0025] Upon detachment from housing 110, reservoir 145 may beconveniently filled with a liquid such as water. Reservoir 145 may befilled through a fill port 165 that optionally includes valving toprevent spillage while water tank 145 is disengaged from housing 110.Water tank 145 may be filled through another port or cap, an example ofwhich is shown as filler cap 170.

[0026] In an aspect of the present invention, reservoir 145 ispreferably at least partially translucent to facilitate a visualdetermination of the amount of water contained present in reservoir 145.

[0027] Once filled, water tank can be connected to housing 110 so thatport 165 engages with first water pipe 135. First water pipe 135provides a conduit for liquid transport between reservoir 145 and pump120. Pump 120 is an electrical pump and can be a rotary vane,peristaltic, or any other type of pump suitable for pumping liquidaccording to the teachings of the present invention.

[0028] In an aspect of the present invention, pump 120 may operate at afixed voltage or over a number of different voltages. For instance, pump120 may operate only at 115 VAC or a multitude of voltages common todifferent countries. Preferably, the accommodated voltages have a rangeabout 100 VAC to about 230 VAC.

[0029] Electrical cable 155 provides electrical power to housing 110and, in particular, to pump 120 through a steam discharge switch 125.Cable 155 may also have at least one safety device 185 in the form of afuse, circuit breaker, thermal cut-off, or other safety deviceappropriate for use in the steamer of the present invention.

[0030] Upon actuation, steam discharge switch 125 serves to complete anelectrical circuit including pump 120 and cable 155, either directly orindirectly, for example by use of a relay. Thus, steam discharge switch125 operates to cause the application of electrical power to pump 120.

[0031] In another aspect of the present invention, steam dischargeswitch 125 may operate to cause a variable amount of power to be appliedto pump 120 depending upon the amount of actuation by a user. In oneaspect, steam discharge switch 125 may be locked or fixed in position tocause a constant amount of electrical power to be applied to pump 120without further actuation by a user.

[0032] Second water pipe 140 provides a conduit from pump 120 to thesteam generator (e.g., boiler 115). Upon application of power from steamdischarge switch 125, pump 120 pumps (i.e., draws) water from reservoir145 through first water pipe 135 and pumps water through second waterpipe 140 to boiler 115.

[0033] Cable 155 also provides electrical power to boiler 115. In anaspect hereof, boiler 115 receives electrical power so long as cable 155is plugged into a suitable source of electrical power. In another aspecthereof, boiler 115 receives electrical power through steam dischargeswitch 125, and thus may receive variable or constant power according tothe configuration of switch 125.

[0034] Boiler 115 uses the electrical power to produce heat forconverting the water pumped from reservoir 145 to steam. Boiler 115 maybe a “flash” boiler, capable of producing steam almost instantaneouslyupon the introduction of water from second water pipe 140. Boiler 115can include a safety device in the form of a thermal cut-off 180 (or anyother applicable safety device) to prevent overheating of the boiler.

[0035] In a manner similar to pump 120, boiler 115 may operate at afixed voltage (e.g., 115 VAC) or over a number of different voltagesthat may be found in different countries (e.g., a range of about 100 VACto about 230 VAC).

[0036] In another aspect of the present invention, a number ofattachments may be mounted onto the steamer. The attachments arepreferably connected to the head portion of the steamer and cover, atleast partially, a surface face area of the head portion. Theattachments aid in the steaming and/or fabric treatment processes beingperformed on a particular article of fabric.

[0037]FIG. 2 shows an attachment including brush attachment 190 and alint remover attachment 195. Brush attachment 190 and lint removingattachment 195 may be used individually, together, or in any combinationwith the steaming capability of the steamer 105. It should beappreciated that other attachments, such as a comb, fabric pill remover,etc. are within the scope, and thus covered by the present invention.

[0038]FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the steamer of the presentinvention and is generally represented by the reference numeral 205.Although the configuration of housing 220 differs from the steamer ofFIG. 1, both steamer 205 and housing 220 preferably function in a mannersimilar to as steamer 105 and housing 110, respectively, of FIG. 1.Boiler 115 of appliance 205 can be regulated by a thermostatic device210 to control production of steam at a particular range of temperatureand delivery rate. A temperature dial 215 may be connected tothermostatic device 210 for selection of a particular steam temperature.

[0039]FIG. 4 shows an attachment 405 with a brush attachment 410 andlint remover attachment 415, both preferably incorporated into a singleattachment 405.

[0040] Appliance 205 has a sole plate 420 that facilitates applyingpressure and heat to the article of fabric being treated with thesteamer of the present invention. Sole plate 420 has nozzles 150disposed therein. It should be appreciated that sole plate 420 can bemade of metal or any other suitable, preferably heat conductive,material for providing an even heat distribution to an article offabric.

[0041] It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatthe particular garment steamer functions and other aspects of theteachings herein are but examples of the present invention. Thus, theydo not limit the scope or variety of applications that the presentinvention may be suitably implemented. Thus, it should be understoodthat the foregoing description is only illustrative of a presentimplementation of the teachings herein. Various alternatives andmodification may be devised by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the present invention. Accordingly, the present inventionis intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, andvariances that fall within the scope of the disclosure herein.

What we claim is:
 1. A hand-held garment steamer, said steamercomprising: a head portion; an elongated handle being connected to andextending from said head portion; a soleplate being disposed on an outersurface of said head portion, said soleplate having a heat conductivesurface; a reservoir for containing liquid therein, said reservoir beingattached to said head portion; a steam generator, in fluid communicationwith said reservoir, for generating steam from said liquid contained insaid reservoir; and a plurality of apertures being disposed in saidsoleplate and in communication with said steam generator forfacilitating a discharge of the steam generated by said steam generatorfrom said steamer.
 2. The steamer of claim 1, further comprising anattachment removably connected to said head portion and covering, atleast partially, said soleplate.
 3. The steamer of claim 2, wherein saidattachment is selected from the group consisting of a fabric brush, afabric comb, a lint remover, and any combinations thereof.
 4. Thesteamer of claim 1, wherein said reservoir is removably connected tosaid head portion.
 5. The steamer of claim 4, further comprising areservoir release for selectively releasing said reservoir from saidhead portion.
 6. The steamer of claim 1, further comprising athermostatic control for controlling a temperature range at which saidsteam is generated.
 7. The steamer of claim 6, wherein said thermostaticcontrol includes a manually adjusted control.
 8. The steamer of claim 6,wherein said thermostatic control controls a rate of delivery for saidgenerated steam.
 9. The steamer of claim 6, wherein said thermostaticcontrol controls a rate of steam generation for said generated steam.10. The steamer of claim 1, further comprising a heat shield forremovable attachment to said soleplate, said heat shield being resistantto conducting heat from said soleplate.
 11. The steamer of claim 1,wherein said steamer is operable by at least two power supplies havingdiffering voltage outputs.
 12. The steamer of claim 1, furthercomprising a steam discharge actuator for selectively controlling thedischarge of the steam from said steamer.
 13. The steamer of claim 12,wherein said discharge actuator is disposed on said handle.